Valve.



F; w. OBENHAUS.

VALVE. J I APPLICATION FILED MAR-711918.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFmcE.

FRANCIS W. OIBENHAUS, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNIT SYSTEM OF HEATING & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.-

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Application filed. March 7, 1918. Serial No. 220,968.

' lowing is a specification.

My inventlon relates to valves and particularly to electrically operated valves.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an electrically operated valve which is adapted to control the flow of gas to gas heated appliances.

A further object of the invention is to pro- I vide a valve in which is incorporated a signal switch of novel design.

Further objects will be made evident hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a valve embodying my. invention.

Fig. 2 1s a vertical central cross section through said valve.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the same. Fig. 4 is a section on a plane represented by the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on a plane represented by the line 5-5 of Fig. 3..

Fig. 6 is a diagram of connections.

The form of my invention shown in these drawings consists of a valve body 11 having.

. a central cavity 12 therein, this cavity having a central diaphragm 13 with a small opening 14 therein. Each end of the cavity '12 is threaded to receive a gas pipe, not shown. One of these gas'pipes goes to the source of supply and the other to the appliance. Resting on a valve seat, formed at the upper end of the opening 14-, is the conical end of a valve stem 16 which passes through a stufiing box 17 and hasrigidly connected thereto a core 18 of magnetic material such as Swedish iron. Surrounding the core 18 are a pair of coils, one of which, 19, may be I called the opening coil, and the other of which, 20, may be called the closing coil. Iron washers 21, 22, 23 are provided at the top and bottom of the coils 19 and 20 and therebetween, as shown. Outside the coils and secured to the body 11 is an iron shell. 25, and inside the coils and around the core 18 is a thin brass tube 26 in which the core 18 slides.

Resting on the top of the washer 21 is an insulating washer 30 in which four studs 31, 32, 33 and 34 are secured. The studs pass through a second insulating washer 35. The Washer 30 has a cylindrical central hole of considerabl greater size than the core 18, and secured 'un er the studs 31 and 34 area pair of copper brushes 37 and 38. These brushes project downwardly ,as shown in Fig. 5 and contact withan insulating rin a conducting rin 40. The insu ating ring is carried on an adjusting stem 41 secured in the top of the core 18, and the conducting ring 40 is carried on the ring 39 and insulated thereby from the stem 41.

Threaded in the washer 35 is a locking nut 44, this nut bein drilled to fit loosely around the stem 41 an having a slot 45 in which a pin 46 carried in the stem 41 is secured.

A head 48 is formed onthe bottom of the nut 44 so that when the nut 44 is threaded into place from the under side of the washer 30 it cannot be removed by screwing it upwardly in that washer. Formed on the extreme upper end of the stem 41 is a knurled adjusting nut 50. v

The coils 19 and 20 have a common terminal which is connected to the stud 34. The other end of the coil 19 is connected to the stud 33 and the other end of the coil 20 is connected to the stud 32 as shown in 6. I provide a transformer 51 and connect'one terminal of the low tension winding thereof with the stud 34. The other terminal of the low tension winding I connect to the center post 54 of a switch having also connected between the post 54 and the stud 31. The lamp 58 is located in such a position that it is visible to a person manipulating the switch arm 55. A battery may be substituted for the transformer 51 if de- 7 14. It will air ga ing the top 'of that opening. If now the swltch arm 55 be' thrown over in such a .manner as to make contact with thepost 57,-

current will flow from [the transformer 51 to the post 54, through the arm 55, to the post 57 and to the stud 33 From the stud '33 it will flow through thecoil 19 to the stud 34 and thence to the other side of the transformer,-thus completing the c1rcuit.'

The energizing of the coil 19 will lift the core 18, the magnetic circuit being through the upper washer 21, the -ironshell 25, the

center washer 22, the core 18 and through an between the upper end of the core 18 an the'washer 21, at which point there will be a magnetic attraction tendin to lift the core 18. As the core 18 is .lifte it will lift the valve stem'16 thus opening the hole.

also lift the stem 41, lifting theinsulating ring 39 with its conducting rin 40.

ith the valve closed, 'or with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2, the brushes '37 and 38 rest on the insulating ring 39 and thereis no circuit therebetween. When the stem 41 is lifted the conducting ring is lifted so that it contacts with both of the brushes 37 and 38, thus connecting them 7 electrically. When this occurs current flows from thetransformer 5l'through the lamp 58; through the stud 34, the brush 38, the ring 40, the brush 37,

the stud 31, the lamp 58, the post 54, and back to the transformer.

' The lamp therefore is, energized and visible whenever the valve is open and the lamp and switch ma be'placed at any convenient point so that t e valve may be conveniently and intelligently lamp is burning that the valve is open.

the switch arm is thrown over to contact with the post 56 and current flows from the on the core 18 transformer 51, to the post 54, through the arm 55, to the post 56, to the stud 32, through the closing c0il'20, to the stud 34 and back to the transformer 51. The energizing'of the coil 20 causes a magnetic flux to flow through the washer '23, the shell 25, the cen ter washer 22-, the core 18 and through an air gap betweenthe washer 23 and the lower end of the core 18, causing a downward pull Which is sufficient to seat the conical end of the valve stem 16 in the hole 14.

operation .of. my invention operated, the operator knowing,.for example, from the fact that the Whenever it is desired to close the valve The stuflin'g-box 17 serves to prevent gas from escaping fromthe cavity 12 and also serves as a friction means tending to hold the stem 16 in any position into which'it may be forced by the action of the (3011s 19 and'20- Although I have used the terms up'and down and equivalent expressions, it shouldbe understood that they refer only tothe position of the parts as shown on the drawing; In practice the valve can be .oper-v ated in any position, gravity not being depended upon in any way in itsoperatrori.

L I prefer to use for theswitch a switch havlng' an arm 55 which normally sets between the posts 56 and 57 and which returns to this position whenever it is released, due

to the centeringv action of two-springs 75,

.thus preventing the coils Hand 20 -from being energized except at such times as .an operator actually has his hand on the arm 55.

By turning the'stem 41 by means of the is turned in the head 35 and raisedand lowered in that head. The slot 45- is of such a knurled adjusting nut 50 thelocking nut length and the pin 46 is so placed that'when I the nut is turned to its extreme bottom po sition the-pin 46 is restingupper end' of the slot the stem 41 is in the extreme 45. In this position forced to its extreme bottom 7 position and the stem 16 is forced'.'do'wn so that its conical end tightly closes the hole 14. The purpose of this arrangement is two fold. In the first place, it is possible by ad justing the position of the nut44 to limit the 7 amount of opening of the valveso that the amount of gas passed can be regulated." Second, it is possible to force the stem 16 down and close the hole 14 entirely'when it is desired to put the valve out of commission for a period. This domestic installations .where .the valve is used in connection with heating devices which are shut down entirely during the summer months. In such a case the householder in. the spring will screw down the valve solidly so that 'ittightly shuts off the gas and is locked in'this position regardless of any manipulation of stem 41 also provides a ready means of manuall} working the valve for testing or repair purposes.

What I claim is 1. A system of remote supply of heating appliances comprising an electrically operated .valve'; an operating switch located at a I valve; an indicator so located as to be visible to a person operating said operating switch; means by which said operatingswitch can actuate said valve to open or close same; and means operated by said valve for actuating said indicator.

occurs for example inthe switch. The

point remote from said control for the gas I 2. A11 electrically operated valve compris- 7 v to prevent gas from passes; valve means for closing said opening electrically operated mechanism for actuating said means; contacts for connection to a signal circuit and means actuated in syn-' chronism wit said .Valve means for causing saidcontacts to open and close 'saidlsignal circuit.

3. In an. valve locking means comprising a core; an adjusting stem secured to said core; a projection on said stem; a stationary member r1 threaded in said stationary member, said-adpassing- 'therethrough of a pin and in which r .provided with an axial slot in electrically operated Valve a gidl'y secured -to thevalve body; and a nut justing stem passing through said nut, and said nut being so placed that it can be turned in said stationary member in such a manner as to strike'against'said projection and force said valve stem to close said opening.v

4. Ayalve as in claim 3 in Which the projection on said adjusting stem is in-the form the adjusting nut is which said pin slides in such a manner that said nut can be turned by turningsaid adjusting stem.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of February, 1918f FRANCIS W. OBENHAUS. 

